Saturday, August 2, 2014

What do I do when I'm drowning in Work? Create a new blog of course!

Hello my name is Jess. And I am a Polymath. (Or a Renaissance Soul.)

I had the sudden urge to create this blog because I am reading The Renaissance Soul: How to Make Your Passions Your Life - A Creative and Practical Guide.

Before reading this book I had no idea that there was a name for these aspects of my personality. I had no idea there were other people out there like me - and I had no idea that the way I was feeling wasn't wrong.

I always assumed my endless interests and hobbies were a liability. I'm always trying to curb the desire to start something new, to learn something new. I fight with myself daily to focus on the project at hand.

But reading The Renaissance Soul helped to open my eyes. There are other people like me. And no, there isn't something wrong with me. Yes, I do need to learn to manage my time better, but I finally feel like I'm onto something. Like I could be making the breakthrough I've been waiting for.

I want this blog to be a place where I don't have to conform to anything. I don't have to write about a particular subject, I can just write. I want to write about the process of defining myself as a polymath and the struggles I'm facing now and the ones I'm sure I'll face in the future. I want to connect with other renaissance souls, so I hope you find me and write in with your stories. Maybe together we can feel a little less like scatterbrained maniacs and a little more like people who just go about life differently.

I'm posting the info from my about page here because this is my first post and it's a good little intro to who I am:

I am a polymath. A renaissance soul. My life is defined not by one pursuit or interest, not by one career path, not by one hobby. My life is defined by many.

I used to think there was something wrong with me. Why couldn't I just settle on one thing? Other people did it. They were perfectly content being a lawyer or a dentist. And yes, they had hobbies too, but they were contained. If you asked them what they did for a living you would get, "Oh, I'm a teacher. But I love to scrapbook too!”

And that was the end of it.

But me, I can't answer that question easily. I can tell you the things I currently do to earn money: I am a yoga, fitness and dance instructor; I am a web and graphic designer; I am a monitor at a local library; I am a crochet pattern designer; and a fledgling Website entrepreneur.

And I can tell you the list of things I am interested in, that I spend time on, that I consider my hobbies: I'm learning Italian; I'm learning to knit; I'm learning to play the piano; I'm taking an exercise physiology course; and I'm learning about SEO and ways to enhance my businesses.

And I'm also posting the current "List". The List page will be updated as I go along:

This list is my current listing of hobbies and interests, both things that are making me money and those that are not. They are in no particular order.
  1. yoga
  2. dance
  3. fitness
  4. swimming
  5. typography
  6. quotes
  7. hand lettering
  8. yarn
  9. crocheting
  10. quilting
  11. weaving
  12. knitting
  13. embroidery
  14. pattern writing
  15. Italian
  16. reading music
  17. playing the piano
  18. books
  19. writing
  20. reading
  21. traveling
  22. Disney World
  23. volunteer work
  24. animals
  25. food photography
  26. styling
  27. interior decorating
  28. architecture 
  29. marketing
This list is the list currently in my Life Book. It is kind of like a bucket list, but also kind of not. It's mostly "one and done" type of things. If they've been completed, they're in bold.

  1. see the Mediterranean
  2. see New York
  3. win money gambling ($507.05!)
  4. write a book
  5. get a book published (I'm not opposed to self-publishing)
  6. meet Neil Gaiman
  7. visit Connecticut
  8. visit the Pez factory
  9. visit the Mark Twain house
  10. have a koi pond
  11. see Jason Mraz in concert
  12. see Jason Mraz and Toca in concert
  13. see Sting in concert
  14. see Jim Gaffigan live
  15. see the SYTYCD tour
  16. have my own blog
  17. have people that read my blog
  18. do an unassisted headstand
  19. design a font
  20. design a crochet pattern
  21. sell a crochet pattern that I designed
  22. participate in a flash mob
  23. learn to read music
  24. learn to play the piano
  25. get a photo of mine on the wall of my college
  26. have an associates degree
  27. own a successful business
  28. learn a language
  29. go to Disney World
  30. see La Nouba
  31. see Totem
  32. see One Night for One Drop
  33. see Worlds Away
You'll find my posts to be about all of those things on my list. They are the things that occupy my mind, the things I'm slowly working away at. I like to post pictures, videos and long winded posts just filled with words.

I hope you find a little piece of yourself here, or just get lost in the many pieces of the Polymath Girl.

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